VALVE MAGAZINE Summer 2024

AI TOOLS FOR BUSINESS

aren’t sure where to start, Dover suggests picking a single AI platform and making it their go-to. This approach makes the process of getting started much less daunting and once a company finds a simple starting point, the adoption of other AI platforms flourishes from there. In the case of our family of companies, we’re now using more than a dozen AI platforms to operate our businesses. While some like Data Factory and Azure are more advanced, perhaps one of the following offers AI newbies a launching point. ChatGPT is the free and easy button and everyone in manufacturing should already be using it regularly for tasks, including inspiring writing, drafting simple emails, creating rough drafts of work instructions and trouble shooting process issues. A simple download from the app store and you’re off and running. I like Perplexity even better and use it more often than ChatGPT for answering simple questions one might otherwise search on an internet browser. The best example to illustrate its value will resonate with anyone who has ever searched Google for a dinner recipe, Tuscan Chicken for example, chosen a link from the search results provided and then waded through 10 pages of the history of Tuscany, the history of chicken, the history of Tuscan Chicken and the 20 best ways to prepare chicken before finally landing on the recipe. Perplexity takes you right to the recipe. I use this relatable example, but the platform readily answers business and manufacturing questions with the same precision and efficiency. For those using Microsoft, Microsoft Copilot is a straightforward place to begin using AI. Think of Copilot a bit like using ChatGPT, trained not just on a huge data set but because Copilot might access the user’s own emails, calendar, documents and other user-specific data, it can offer responses and content catered more specifically to the individual organization. Todd Wanek, CEO of the world’s largest furniture manufacturer Ashley Furniture Industries, joined me on the TechEd Podcast and shared how his orga nization is experimenting with this tool. Ren Systems offers an easy entry point. We uploaded our

A recent study by Pew Research Center suggests that by February 2024, 20% of employed Americans had used ChatGPT at work, more than doubling the 8% who said they had in March 2023. What about this study is most surprising? By February, only 1 in 5 had used the tool on the job! The businesses in which I’m involved literally could not function without our use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including but far beyond ChatGPT, and I worry about what the future holds for the 80% of us who haven’t yet started using the most basic of AI tools. The pressing question for many embarking on their AI journey is where to begin. Mike Dover serves as president and CEO of The Wagner Companies, an employee-owned Wisconsin manufacturing organization. Dover relayed to me some terrific advice he gleaned from a presenter at a recent conference. For those who want to delve into AI and INSIGHTS Are You Using AI in Your Business? Artificial intelligence tools can help businesses function better. Here are some suggestions on where to start. BY: MATTHEW KIRCHNER, Contributing Writer COMPANY: TECHED PODCAST

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VALVE MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2024